NASCAR Truck Series - Victoria de Layne Riggs en Bristol

Layne Riggs turned a disastrous start into a crucial victory for his NASCAR Truck Series playoffs aspirations. Riggs, driving the #34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, won the UNOH 250 race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday night, snapping a streak of three consecutive wins by Corey Heim.

Riggs had to overcome adversity from the very first lap, when a spin relegated him to the back of the grid. The recovery cost him a set of new tires, forcing him to complete the final 109 laps on used qualifying tires.

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Riggs takes the lead on lap 142

The key to the victory came on the restart on lap 142. Riggs took advantage of Cole Butcher staying on track with old tires and managed to pass the race leader when the #62's tires lost traction on the exit.

"You don't get two chances in the playoffs, and I got two," said Riggs, referring to his previous result at Darlington. "Spinning on the first lap is a blow to your confidence, but I have faith in this team."

Ben Rhodes applied pressure in the final laps but couldn't catch the leader. The veteran driver crossed the finish line in second position, followed by Heim in third.

Heim maintains points lead despite losing the streak

Heim arrived at Bristol with eight wins this season, one short of the record of nine wins set by Greg Biffle. He won the second stage and led 122 laps, but a poor pit strategy relegated him from second to seventh place on the decisive restart.

"That was a questionable decision on that last restart, lining up behind the car that stayed out," explained Heim. "The tires spun a lot and we fell back to seventh or eighth place. It was a very track position-dependent race."

Heim maintains a 61-point lead over Riggs in the overall playoff standings despite losing the victory.

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Smith and Garcia in trouble to advance

Mechanical problems affected two major contenders. Chandler Smith, Riggs' teammate and winner of the spring race at Bristol, lost 12 laps for repairs to the power steering. He finished 30th and is now 24 points below the elimination line.

Jake García had an even more complicated night. The driver who took pole position and won the first stage lost power on lap 84, taking his #13 Ford to the garage. He finished 33rd and is 14 points outside the qualifying zone.

Ty Majeski and Daniel Hemric completed the top 5, positioning themselves comfortably for the elimination race on September 20th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Complete results UNOH 250 - Bristol Motor Speedway